358 BENJAMIN APTHORP GOULD. 



which were the original and always the dominant object of the enter- 

 prise, were begun in 1872, substantially completed in 1877, and revised 

 in 1882-83. This work was embodied in the Zone Cataloo-ues, con- 

 taining 73,160 stars, which appeared in 1884. Parallel with this, and 

 almost overshadowing it in importance, was carried on the independent 

 series of meridian-circle observations for the General Cataloirue of 

 32,448 stars, completed in 1885. Dr. Gould, besides, left the manu- 

 script of the remainder of his series of fifteen volumes, not then publislied, 

 — containing the observations and the annual catalogues, incorporated in 

 the General Catalogue, — complete to the minutest detail, ready for the 

 printer. These have since appeared, from time to time, — the last vol- 

 ume, rounding out his work, reaching Cambridge but a few hours before 

 his death. 



Another part of the work for the Cordoba Observatory, planned by 

 Dr. Gould as a fitting extension of it. was a " Durchmusterung " of the 

 southern sky. For this, indeed, he had provided the instrumental means 

 and trained the assistants, it being his purpose to be ready to begin it at 

 any time in case of any unforeseen delay or accident to the other work. 

 On leaving Cordoba he confided it to the care of Dr. Thome, by whom, 

 with Mr. Tucker, it has been so worthily conducted. 



Dr. Gould also established, under the auspices of the Argentine gov- 

 ernment, a meteorological service, second in extent, it is believed, only 

 to that of the United States. Upon leaving South America he intrusted 

 this charge to the hands of his worthy successor, "Walter G. Davis. 



The earliest to recognize and demonstrate the capabilities of photog- 

 raphy to render service to the astronomy of precision, Dr. Gould, by his 

 experience with the Rutherfurd plates of the Pleiades and the Prassepe, 

 was incited to arrange to carry forward at Cordoba, on an extensive 

 scale, a similar work upon the southern stellar clusters. His other 

 labors there were so onerous that he confined his attention to securing 

 plates suitable for precise measurement. Of these he accumulated about 

 1400, and brought them home with him for measurement and reduc- 

 tion. Without permitting himself a well earned retirement, he turned 

 at once, tirelessly, to this labor, wliich has been the principal occupation 

 of the last ten years of his life. Tliis is substantially complete, and will 

 be given to the world as it came from his hand. 



Dr. Gould had an enthusiasm for the advancement of his beloved sci- 

 ence for wider than the limits of what he could by personal investigation 

 accorapli;<h. Early in his career he keenly realized that astronomy had 

 reached a stage of development in America which entitled it to a higher 



